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Edward Snowden

NSA Whistle-blower: The man at the centre of a global crisis​

Future Democracy Speaker

As the relationship between states, data and us becomes ever more fraught, we have an appearance from the man at the centre of this global crisis. NSA whistleblower and Rector of Glasgow University, Edward Snowden will speak to FutureFest about the new laws, institutions and technologies needed to protect our privacy and maintain our faith in democracy and accountability.

A 30-year-old whistleblower and former NSA contractor, Snowden left his home in Hawaii in May 2013, travelling to Hong Kong to leak documents to journalist Glenn Greenwald. At the time of his departure from the US, Snowden worked as a Booz Allen Hamilton systems analyst doing contract work for the NSA. The documents he revealed detailed secret NSA programs and capabilities that have been and continue to be used to collect and store personal communications both within the US and abroad.

Snowden was granted temporary asylum by Russia on 1 August 2013 for a period of one year ending 31 July 2014, which includes the right to work and travel within the Russian Federation. From 1 August 2014, he was granted a three-year residence permit in Russia, which also allows him to travel abroad for periods of up to three months.

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